Squire, Young lead Rams to victory

UPPER MARLBORO – It is nearing the make-or-break point in the season for Prince George’s County’s undefeated teams and the Suitland Rams just notched another victory.

A tenacious Suitland defense, led by Greg Young and his three interceptions, had what it took to beat Frederick Douglass, 21-8, on Oct. 6.

Following a stellar all-around performance from Suitland, Head Coach Ed Shields was pleased with the effort his team put forth.

“We knew it was going to be tough today,” Shields said. “Douglass is always a well-coached program, and we knew it would be tough and just had to do our best. Our kids did it while showing resilience.

“I thought we had some things go bad with the safety at the beginning of the game and the interception we threw, but the kids never quit so we always had a chance out there.”

The Eagles struck first after the Rams found themselves pinned deep in their own territory. Douglass linebacker Isaiah Jordan slashed his way through the offensive line to record a safety with just 47 seconds remaining in the first quarter.

The second quarter saw long drives from both teams, however neither was able capitalize. With roughly six minutes remaining, Suitland received the ball after a three-and-out from Frederick Douglass. The Rams rushing attack overpowered the Eagles’ defense as Antwan Squire helped move his team down the field before the half. His runs set up quarterback Marquice Perry to throw a 10-yard touchdown to Donovan Henry to take a 6-2 lead.

The Eagles attempted to respond with two minutes to go. After a holding call moved the ball deeper into Rams’ territory, the drive ended with an unfortunate circumstance. Douglass quarterback Ja’Juan Payton-Glover threw a pass intended for Malik Pettaway, but the ball fell into the hands of Young to end the half.

The Rams built on their momentum into the second half. On their first possession, the combination of Perry and Squire helped Suitland get on the board again. Squire dodged defenders and ran into the end zone for a 16-yard touchdown. He also completed a run for the two-point conversion to make it 14-2 with eight minutes remaining in the third.

The Eagles opened the fourth quarter with a running play that was stopped by the Rams defense. After the no gain, Payton-Glover was again picked off by Young for his second interception.

Later, the Eagles finally got into the endzone after a 5-yard run by Malik Pettaway to close the gap to 14-8 with seven minutes to go. Unfortunately for the Eagles, that was their last scoring effort.

Once the Rams got the ball back, the rushing game burned out the game clock. With less than two minutes to go, Squire punched home his second touchdown of the day to finish the game. Squire’s fantastic day ended with 37 carries for 258 yards and two touchdowns. He went on to praise his team after the win.

“It’s a blessing,” Squire said. “I really want to thank my lead blocking and my offensive line. We played a great game out there.”

The Rams had one of their best offensive days by totaling 511 all-purpose yards.

Frederick Douglass falls to 5-1 with the loss. Despite the end of the undefeated streak, Head Coach Julius Pinkney said the team must refocus on the next game.

The undefeated Rams (6-0) will face Largo (2-4) next week, while the Eagles will look to bounce back against Bladensburg (1-5).